Glossary of Art Terms - Scoilnet · ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM American abstract art ... A form of Participatory Arts practice where emphasis is placed on the potential of art to bring

Prepared by Lisa Moran, Curator: Education and Community Programmes

and Sophie Byrne, Assistant Curator: Talks and Lectures 10/05/2017

Glossary of Art Terms The following are a select number of terms relating to the subjects of Modern and

Contemporary Art. This glossary is not comprehensive or exhaustive and will be developed and

expanded over time.

This Glossary was prepared by Lisa Moran, Curator: Education and Community Programmes and

Sophie Byrne, Assistant Curator: Talks and Lectures Programme.

ABSTRACT ART

Artwork that is non-figurative, non-representational and which is concerned with the formal

elements of the artwork rather than the representation of subject matter.

ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM

American abstract art movement in the 1940s and 1950s which emphasised a non-figurative,

emotionally engaged approach to painting. Predominantly New York-based, it was also referred

to as the New York School, Some artists whose practice emphasised gesture and physical

expression, such as the drip paintings of Jackson Pollock or the expressive brushwork of

Willem de Kooning, were referred to as action painters or gesture painters. Other artists

associated with Abstract Expressionism, such as Barnett Newman and Mark Rothko, emphasised

the flat surface of the painting through the application of thin layers of paint, the

elimination of gesture and emphasis on colour. This approach is referred to as Colour-Field

Painting.

ABSTRACTION

The process of making abstract through elimination or avoidance of any representational

elements and by emphasising the formal elements of an artwork.

ACTIVIST ART

Arts practice which employs collective action in the public domain, such as demonstrations,

protests, banners, signs and leaflet distribution, informed by issues of political or social

injustice.

ALTERMODERN

A term coined by French curator Nicolas Bourriaud to describe arts practice in the twenty-

first century which is concerned with globalised culture and communication and which is

realised through social and technological networks.

APPROPRIATION

The use of existing elements, such as an image, idea, sound, text or style, in the creation

of a new artwork.

ARCHITECTURE

The discipline concerned with the planning, design and construction of the built environment

in terms of its aesthetic, functional and social considerations.

ART FAIR

An event, usually held annually, to network, showcase, market and sell art. Art Fairs have

become an important mechanism in the art market for Modern and Contemporary Art. Notable

examples include Frieze, ARCO and ArtBasel.

ART MUSEUM

A venue for the collection, preservation, study, interpretation and display of significant

cultural objects and artworks.

ART PHOTOGRAPHY

Also known as Fine Art Photography, a category of photography which emphasises the

photographer’s artistic intentions over the technical or functional aspects of the

photograph.

ARTIST-LED INITIATIVES

Projects or organisations, such as studios or galleries, set up and run by artists, often on

a collective or cooperative basis.

AUDIO TECHNOLOGY



Devices and mechanisms for recording and producing sound, such as the gramophone, audio

cassette, microphone and compact disk.

AVANT-GARDE

French for advance guard or ‘vanguard’, a military term to describe an advance army group.

The term is used to describe innovative, experimental or cutting edge artists and movements.

BAUHAUS

An influential school of art, architecture and design founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar

Germany in 1919. Influenced by Constructivism and De Stijl, the Bauhaus style, associated

with the International Style, emphasised practicality, harmony between function and design

and lack of ornamentation.

BIENNIAL

A large-scale exhibition of international Contemporary Art hosted by many cities every two

years. The Venice Biennale was the forerunner of what is now a dominant trend in exhibiting

Contemporary Art.

BIOTECHNOLOGY

Biology-based technology concerned with medicine, agriculture, food science and genetic

engineering.

BLAUE REITER

A German expressionist art movement from 1911-1914 which involved Wassily Kandinsky and

Franz Marc which was concerned with spirituality and abstraction. Paul Klee was also

associated with this movement.

DIE BRÜCKE

A movement of avant-garde German Expressionist artists formed in 1905, including Ernst

Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde, who rejected the constraints of the prevalent academic style

in favour of a more expressive approach to painting.

CALOTYPE

An early photographic process invented by William Henry Fox Talbot in the 1830s which

involved the exposure of paper coated with silver iodide to light, producing a negative

image from which multiple positive images could be printed.

CAMERA OBSCURA

An optical device developed used extensively during the Renaissance to aid drawing and

perspective.

CD-ROMs

A compact disc which contains fixed data and which can be accessed by a computer.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The technical term for motion picture photography, which involves the manipulation of the

film in

the camera, the arrangement of lighting and the printing of the film.

COLLABORATION/COLLABORATIVE ART

A form of arts practice where two or more artists, often from different disciplines,

collaborate in the creation of an artwork.

COLLECTOR

Someone who acquires artworks based on personal taste or for investment purposes. Many

collectors donate or loan their collections to museums and galleries.

COMMODITY/COMMODIFICATION

A product or article of trade which is marketed for a commercial exchange of equal value.

The influence of the art market on the nature, production and distribution of art is often

referred to in terms of commodification.

COMMUNITY ARTS



A form of Participatory Arts practice where emphasis is placed on the potential of art to

bring about social change. Often involving collaboration between artists and specific

communities or self-generated by communities where participants are involved in all aspects

of the art making process. The term is associated in particular with socially-engaged arts

practice of the 1980s and ‘90s.

COMPUTER

A mechanism for storing data and executing instructions called programmes in relation to

that data. Software applications for personal computers include word

processing, spreadsheets, databases, Web browsers, e-mail clients, games, and specialist

software.

COMPUTER and VIDEO GAMES

An electronic game devised for interactive use on a computer or video player. The

development of games involves multidisciplinary teams of game designers, programmers,

graphic designers, sound technicians and producers.

CONCEPTUAL ART

Originating in the 1960s, Conceptual Art emphasises the idea or concept rather than the

production of a tangible art object. The ideas and methodologies of Conceptual Art continue

to inform Contemporary Art practice.

CONSTRUCTIVISM

An abstract art movement founded by Vladimir Tatlin and Alexander Rodchenko in Russia around

1915, which embraced developments in modern technology and industrialisation.

CONTEMPORARY

Refers to the present or recent past.

CONTEMPORARY ART

Refers to current and very recent art practice. Attributed to the period from the 1970s to

the present, it also refers to works of art made by living artists. Contemporary Art can be

driven by both theory and ideas, and is also characterised by a blurring of the distinction

between art and other categories of cultural experience, such as television, cinema, mass

media, entertainment and digital technology.

CRITIC

A person who describes, appraises, analyses and/or critiques art.

CRITICAL THEORY

A range of theories, drawn mainly from the social sciences and humanities, and associated

with the Frankfurt School, which adopt a critical approach to understanding society and

culture.

CUBISM

An early twentieth-century movement led by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque which focused on

the physical qualities of painting rather than the subject matter. It is characterised by

the breaking up of the picture plane, merging of figure and ground, the adoption of multiple

viewpoints, and simplification of form into geometric shapes. Cubism was very influential on

subsequent art movements and artists, and is considered to be the forerunner of Abstract

Art.

CURATOR

A person who makes decisions with regard to the selection, acquisition, display and storage

of artworks. A curator may be independent or freelance, or may be affiliated with a museum

or gallery. A curator of Contemporary Art is concerned with display, research and

preservation, but is also involved in experimentation and innovation.



CYBERSPACE

The notional space within which the network of information technology and communication

infrastructures, such as the Internet, operate.

DADA

An international, avant-garde art movement founded in 1916 which used a variety of media,

including collage, sound, nonsense texts and absurd performances to protest against the

social, cultural and political conditions prevailing in Europe during World War I.

Originating in Zurich, the movement spread to Paris, Berlin, Cologne, Hanover and New York.

DAGUERREOTYPE

A photographic process developed by Louis Daguerre in collaboration with Joseph Niépce in

the 1830s where an image is etched onto a silver-plated copper sheet after lengthy exposure

to light.

DANCE

The movement of the body in a series of prescribed or improvised gestures often accompanied

by music. The term also refers to the artform discipline concerned with the theory and

practice of dance.

DEALER

An art dealer represents an artist by promoting the artist’s work and negotiating

opportunities for the artist, such as the exhibition and/or sale of the artist’s work.

DE STIJL

Meaning ‘style’ in Dutch, an art movement founded in 1917 by Theo van Doesburg and Piet

Mondrian which emphasised abstraction and purity of form and design. Also known as

neoplasticism, De Stijl influenced subsequent developments in art, architecture and design.

DIALOGICAL AESTHETICS

An umbrella term used to describe socially-engaged arts practice where the emphasis is

placed on dialogue and communication rather than the production of an art object.

DIDACTIC

To adopt an approach which conveys a message, knowledge or information.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Electronic data storage and transmission technology that enables immense amounts of

information to be compressed on small storage devices, such as computers and telephones,

that can easily be preserved, retrieved and transported.

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

A genre of photography applied to the photographic documentation of social, cultural,

historical and political events. Traditionally associated with professional photojournalists

but more recently, with the proliferation of digital cameras and social media websites, it

is associated with amateur photography.

DOCUMENTATION

The process of making records with the use of photography, film, video, audio or text to

identify or report factual details.

DRAWING

The process of mark making, often using implements such as pencil, charcoal or pastels, on a

two-dimensional surface.

ENVIRONMENTAL ART



A form of arts practice which emerged in the 1960s in response to growing concerns

about environmental and ecological issues. Traditionally associated with site-specific and

installation practice, contemporary Environmental Art encompasses a broad range of media and

methodologies.

EXPRESSIONISM

A form of artistic practice which emphasises the expression of feelings rather than the

depiction

of reality. Colour, form and the application of paint are employed to convey the artist’s

feelings. Most notably associated with a number of avant-garde German artists involved in

Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter in the early twentieth century.

FAUVISM

From the French ‘Fauve’ meaning wild beast, a post-impressionist movement in the early

twentieth century which placed an emphasis on colour and brushwork rather than pictorial

representation. Considered a precursor of abstraction.

FEMINISM

A social, political, intellectual and philosophical movement advocating equal rights and

representation for women in all aspects of society.

FILM

The medium used for the creation of still or moving images. The term is also used to

describe a motion picture which is a sequence of images projected onto a screen,

collectively referred to as cinema. In Contemporary Art, film is referred to as an art form.

FLUXUS

An international, avant-garde art movement in the 1960s which included artists, writers,

filmmakers and musicians creating experimental, multimedia work in film, video and

performance informed by social and political activism.

FORMALISM

Emphasises the formal elements of an artwork such as the materials and qualities of the

work, colour, line, form, etc. External, contextual elements are not considered relevant.

FOUND OBJECTS

The re-use of objects, either manufactured or occurring in nature, which are not designed

for artistic purpose, and are kept for their inherent qualities. Often exhibited in random

juxtapositions to create new meanings.

FRESCOS

A form of mural painting prevalent during the Renaissance, which involved painting in

pigment mixed with water on a thin layer of wet lime mortar or plaster.

FUTURISM

Early twentieth century movement which originated in Italy and embraced all things modern,

including technology, speed, industrialisation and mechanisation. It also embraced violence

and nationalism and was associated with Italian Fascism.

GALLERY

An internal space or series of spaces dedicated to the exhibition of artworks.

GPS GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM

A US space-based radio-navigation system that provides positioning, navigation and timing

services. GPS handsets are used by drivers to optimise navigation routes.



HAPPENINGS

Associated with US artist Allan Kaprow, the term Happenings emerged in the 1950s to describe

time-based performances, events or situations which rely on artistic chance and

improvisation to provoke the interaction of the audience.

HELIOGRAPH

Early photographic process invented by Joseph Niépce in 1827 which involved exposing a metal

plate coated with bitumen to light for long periods of time.

HYBRID

Something of mixed origin or composition.

HYPERTEXT

Text which contains links to other texts, usually displayed on a computer. Hypermedia refers

to those elements of Hypertext which are not text, such as graphics. The World Wide Web is

an example of hypertext.

IMPRESSIONISM

An art movement originating in France in the 1860s which experimented with colour and

painting outdoors in the depiction of landscape and everyday life.

INDEXICALITY

A term associated with linguistics and philosophy which refers to a word or phrase whose

meaning is contingent on the circumstance or context in which it is expressed.

INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION

A period of social, political and economic change arising from the shift from manual to

machine-based manufacturing, which affected agriculture, manufacturing, mining and

transport. Began in Great Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries and

spread throughout Europe and America, impacting on all aspects of social, political and

cultural life.

INTERIOR DESIGN

The discipline concerned with the planning and design of the interior built environment.

INSTALLATION ART

A broad term applied to a range of arts practice which involves the installation or

configuration of objects in a space, where the totality of the objects and the space

comprise the artwork.

INSTITUTIONAL CRITIQUE

A systematic interrogation of the workings of the art institution, through art practice and

discourse, which exposes and challenges assumed normalities, such as the autonomy and

neutrality of the museum or gallery space. Associated with both Minimalism and Conceptual

Art, and with artists such as Hans Haacke, Andrea Fraser, Marcel Broodthaers and Daniel

Buren.

INTERDISCIPLINARY

The combining of two or more artform specialisms, such as music, visual arts or dance.

INTERIOR DESIGN

The discipline concerned with the planning and design of the interior built environment.

INTERNATIONAL STYLE

A style of architectural design, named after an exhibition in the Museum of Modern Art in

New York in 1932 featuring the work of architects associated with the Modern Movement. The



International Style was characterised by simplicity of form, lack of ornamentation and use

of industrial materials, and is also associated with the Bauhaus.

INTERNET

A globalised system of computer networks linked by copper wire, fibre-optic cables and

wireless connections, which provides services, resources and information, such as the

hypertext of the World Wide Web, electronic mail, file sharing, online gaming and social

networking sites.

KINETIC ART

Artworks created using moving components or which suggest movement.

LAND ART

A US art movement from the 1960s which emerged out of environmental and ecological concerns

and the perceived limitations of the conventional art object to respond to these concerns.

Artworks were created within the landscape, often using the materials of the landscape.

LANGUAGE

The use of verbal and written text as a medium in Conceptual Art.

LENS-BASED MEDIA

Mechanisms which employ a camera lens, such as film, video and photography, to create art

work.

LINGUISTICS

The scientific study of language methodologies, such as grammatical structure, perception,

meaning, the action and sound of speech, and how these methods are acquired.

LITERARY THEORY

Refers to ideas concerning the reception of literature and text and how the reader may

receive and negotiate its meaning based on his/her cultural background and personal

experience.

MASS MEDIA

Forms of communication, such as newspapers and television, used to distribute news and

information to large audiences.

MASS PRODUCTION

The generation of large quantities of standardised objects associated with industrialisation

and mechanised factory production.

MEDIUM/MEDIA

In general usage, media refers to forms of communication, such as newspapers, magazines,

television, radio and the Internet. In the arts media ― the plural of medium ― refers to

the materials, methodologies, mechanisms, technologies or devices by which an artwork is

realised. Traditional media include painting, sculpture and drawing and the specific

materials used, such as paint, charcoal or marble, can also be referred to as media. In

Contemporary Art practice media artists use a wide range of media, such as technology, found

materials, the body, sound, etc.

MEMORIAL

An object or process to commemorate an individual or event usually sited in a public place.

This may take the form of a gravestone, plaque, sculpture, building, cenotaph, park,

temporary installation, event or performance.

MINIMALISM



An abstract art movement developed in the US in the 1960s which emphasised the use of

simple, geometric forms and modern materials drawn from industry. It was an extension of

abstraction focusing on the properties of the materials used but also a rejection of the

ideology and discourse of Abstract Expressionism.

MODERN

Generally referring to the present or the contemporary, it is associated with the period of

Modernism from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Modern can also be

used to describe the period since the Enlightenment in the seventeenth century or the

Renaissance in the fifteenth century.

MODERNISM/MODERN ART

Refers to art theory and practice from the 1860s to the late 1960s and is defined in terms

of a linear progression of styles, periods and schools, such as Impressionism, Cubism and

Abstract Expressionism.

MONUMENT

A structure, such as a statue, building or arch, used to celebrate or commemorate a

significant person or event within a society.

MULTIPLES

The production of unlimited editions of an artwork, produced and disseminated at low cost.

NEOCONCRETISM An influencial art movement in Brazil from 1959 and 1961 which rejected the emphasis on formal elements associated with concrete art (non-figurative, abstract art) in favour of a more expressive and participative arts practice.

NEW GENRE PUBLIC ART

A term coined by American artist Suzanne Lacy to describe a form of socially-engaged Public

Art practice which emphasises collectivity and the relationship between the audience and the

space.

NEW MEDIA

A range of materials and technologies developed relatively recently and utilised in the

creation, presentation and dissemination of New Media Art.

NEW MEDIA ART

Artwork created using new media, such as film, video, lens-based media, digital technology,

hypertext, cyberspace, audio technology, CD-ROMs, webcams, surveillance technology, wireless

telephones, GPS systems, computer and video games and biotechnology.

OBSOLESENCE

A state where a product or technology is superceded by a newer one and consequently is no

longer manufactured or used, even though it may still function adequately.

OIL PAINT

Form of painting which became prevalent during the fifteenth century, where pigment is

suspended in slow-drying oil such as linseed oil.

OP ART/OPTICAL ART

Type of art which employs optical illusions to suggest movement or depth. Informed by colour

theory and the psychology of perception, Op Art is usually abstract and often comprises

geometric patterns.



PAINTING

The application of a pigment or colour to a surface such as canvas, paper or plaster. It was

the dominant artistic medium for pictorIal representation until the twentieth century.

PARTICIPATORY ART

A form of arts practice which prioritises viewer participation in the conception and/or

realisation of an artwork.

PER CENT FOR ART SCHEME

In Ireland, the Per Cent for Art scheme is a government initiative to provide funding for

public art, whereby a percentage of government funding designated for capital expenditure

can be set aside to commission a public artwork. Informed by earlier initiatives by the

Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Department of the Environment, a Per Cent for Art

Scheme across all Government Departments was established in Ireland in 1997. Such schemes

operate in Australia and the US and in most European countries.

PERFORMANCE ART

Involves an artist undertaking an action or actions where the artist’s body is the medium.

Performance art evolved in the late 1950s and is closely associated with Video Art as this

was the primary means of recording this ephemeral art form.

PERSPECTIVE

The technique of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface, such

as paper or canvas, where the relationship between objects is determined by their distance

from the viewer.

PHOTOGRAM

An image produced without the use of a camera by projecting the shadows of objects on

photographic paper.

PHOTOGRAPHY

The process of recording an image – a photograph – on light-sensitive film or, in the case

of digital photography, via a digital electronic or magnetic memory.

PHOTOGRAVURE

A printmaking process developed in the 1830s which involves creating an intaglio etching

from a photographic image created on a light-sensitive copper plate through exposure to

light.

PHOTOMONTAGE

The creation of a photographic image by combining parts of a number of separate photographic

images. A practice associated in particular with the Dada movement in Berlin in the 1920s.

PICTORIALISM

An approach to photography prevalent in the late nineteenth century and early twentieth

century which emphasised the pictoral and aesthetic qualities of the image over its

documentary characteristics. Photographic artists created images similar to paintings in

terms of form and effect, employing a range of techniques such as use of soft focus and

manipulation of the printmaking materials to create painterly effects. They also displayed

these photographic works in exhibitions similar to the conventional academy exhibitions.

Associated with the work of artists such as Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston and Edward

Steichen.

POP ART



An art movement which developed in the UK and US in the 1950s drawing on aspects of popular

culture and entertainment as subject matter.

POSTCOLONIAL THEORY / POSTCOLONIALISM

An intellectual discourse of the late twentieth century drawing on theories from literature,

film, philosophy and social and political science, concerned with the cultural legacy of

colonialism in terms of national and cultural identity, race and ethnicity.

POSTMODERNISM

A social, cultural and intellectual movement characterised by a rejection of notions of

linear progression, grand totalising narratives and critical consensus associated with

Modernism. It is characterised by an interdisciplinary approach, multiple narratives,

fragmentation, relativity, contingency and irony.

POSTSTRUCTURALISM

Theories and methods of analysis drawn from Deconstruction and Psychoanalysis which reject

the objectivity of Structuralism emphasising the plurality of meaning and the instability of

categories of intellectual enquiry. Associated with the work of Michel Foucault, Jacques

Derrida and Roland Barthes.

PRINTMAKING

The process of creating an artwork by transferring an impression from one surface to

another. Printmaking processes can use metal, stone, linoleum, fabric, etc. While

printmaking enables multiple copies to be produced, each print is considered unique.

PROCESS ART

Arts practice where the process of making the artwork is the subject of the work.

PSYCHOANALYSIS

A theoretical paradigm for understanding human behaviour, and a form of intensive

psychotherapeutic treatment in which free association, dream interpretation and

consideration of resistance and transference are used to resolve psychological problems.

Developed by Sigmund Freud in the late nineteenth century, there are many strands of

psychoanalytic theory, including Object Relations Theory and Lacanian psychoanalysis.

PUBLIC ART

Artwork located outside the museum or gallery, usually sited in a public space and supported

by public funding.

READYMADE

A term used in manufacturing to distinguish between handmade and manufactured goods, adopted

by French artist Marcel Duchamp to describe the selection and modification of a manufactured

object by an artist to create an artwork.

RELATIONAL AESTHETICS/RELATIONAL ART

Term coined by the French curator Nicolas Bourriaud to describe a set of art practices which

place an emphasis on the social context in which the artwork is created and/or presented,

and on the role of the artist as facilitator, where art is information exchanged between the

artist and viewer. He calls examples of this practice Relational Art.

RENAISSANCE

A French word for rebirth, the Renaissance was a cultural movement originating in Italy in

the late fourteenth century, prompted by the revival of ancient classical sources. Extending

until the sixteenth century the movement spread throughout Italy and Europe affecting all

aspects of social, political and cultural life. Characterised by the adoption of a humanist

approach, Renaissance artists placed an emphasis on naturalism and the use of linear

perspective.



SCULPTURE

A three-dimensional art object which is either created or constructed by an artist. Includes

constructions, assemblages, installations, sound, new media, etc.

SEMIOTICS

The study of the relationship between signs and symbols in visual and written communication.

SITE

The space in which an artwork is located either temporarily or permanently, such as a

gallery space, a space in an art fair or biennal, a public space or a site-specific space

where the artwork is created in response to the conditions of the space.

SITE-SPECIFIC ART

Artwork that is created in response to a specific site with the intention of being located

in the site and where removal from the site would change the meaning of the artwork. Often

associated with Installation Art, Land Art and Public Art.

SITUATIONISM

An open-ended term used to describe an event which is time-based and conditioned by a site

or set of circumstances; commonly associated with the political actions of the artist

collective Situationist International.

SNAP SHOT

A photograph taken with lack of deliberate aim or consideration of framing, lighting, etc.

Characteristics of the snap shot include inadvertant cropping, red-eye, lack of focus, under

or over exposure, double exposure.

SOCIALLY-ENGAGED ART

Arts practice which is informed by a social agenda and created and realised through

engagement, collaboration and/or participation between an artist or artists and a specific

social constituency, such as a youth group.

SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Internet sites which facilitate global social interaction through the posting of text and

images on personalised web pages. Examples include Facebook, LinkedIn and Bebo.

SOCIAL SCULPTURE

A term devised by German conceptual artist Joseph Beuys to describe a form of socially-

engaged arts practice which encompasses human activity and which is underpinned by a belief

in the potential for art to bring about social and political change.

SOLARISATION

The reversal of tones in a photographic negative or print caused by overexposure to light

where light areas become dark and dark areas become light.

SONY PORTAPAK VIDEO CAMERA

The first portable low-cost video recording device introduced in 1967 by Sony. The low cost

and portability made it accessible to many artists and contributed to the growth of

experimental video making in the 1960s and 1970s.

SOUND ART

A form of arts practice concerned with sound, listening and hearing, often involving an

interdisciplinary approach. Sound Art encompasses acoustics, electronics, audio media and

technology, the body, ambient sound, etc.



STATUE

A three-dimensional object, usually figurative, representing a person or event.

STRAIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

A term associated with photographers who emphasised the inherent qualities of photography

and rejected any form of manipulation or distortion of the image for painterly effects as

associated with Pictoralism.

SUPREMATISM

Russian abstract art movement founded by Kasimir Malevich and Alexander Rodchenko around

1915 which emphasised the supremacy of form expressed through the use of a limited range of

colours and geometric shapes.

SURREALISM

An anti-establishment, literary and visual art movement founded in 1924 by André Breton and

influenced by Dada, Psychoanalysis and Sigmund Freud’s theories of the unconscious.

SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY

The employment of technology to monitor behaviour and activities and to gather information.

This includes electronic security systems: CCTV cameras; social network analysis: Bebo,

Facebook and Twitter; biometric surrveillance: fingerprinting and facial recognition; aerial

surveillance: satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles; data mining and profiling; corporate

surveillance and telephone and computer monitoring.

TABLEAU

An elaborate pictorial narrative or story staged and presented in a single image in the form

of a painting or photograph.

TABLEAU-VIVANT

A pictorial narrative or story stages and presented in a single image using live subjects

who do not move for the duration of the display.

TEXT/TEXT BASED

Artwork created using written or printed words as the material and/or subject matter.

THEATRE

The dramatic arts of writing, producing, directing, performing and presenting dramatic texts

such as plays. The term also refers to the artform discipline of drama concerned with the

theory and practice of drama.

TROPICÁLIA

Predominantly associated with music, Tropicália, also known as Tropicálismo, was an innovative, hybrid art movement in

Brazil in the 1960s encompassing visual arts, poetry, music and theatre. In the visual arts it was associated with the work

of Lygia Clark and Hélio Oiticica. It was informed by the civil rights movement and political and social injustices in Brazil.

VIDEO

Technology used to record, store and project static images in a moving format similar to

film. The production of lightweight, low-cost video technology, such as the Sony Portapak,

in the late 1960s contributed to the growth in experimental video making during this period.

VIDEO ART

Artwork created using a video recording device. Video Art emerged as an art form in the

1960s and 1970s due to the development of new technology, and it is a prevalent medium in

Contemporary Art practice.

VIRTUAL REALITY



A simulated environment generated by computer technology and experienced through sensory

stimuli.

WEBCAMS

A video-capture device that can be attached to a computer to enable the communication of

live visual information.

WIRELESS TELEPHONES

A cellular or mobile telephone is a type of short-wave analog or digital telecommunication

in which a subscriber has a wireless connection from a mobile telephone to a relatively

nearby transmitter. The transmitter's span of coverage is called a cell.

WORLD WIDE WEB

A system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet. Browsers, such as

Google, enable users to access web pages containing text, images and multimedia, and also to

navigate between web pages using hypertext.

16-MILLIMETRE FILM

Film stock developed in the 1920s for amateur and industrial use. Since the 1960s, when it

became more affordable, it has been used widely by artists in experimental filmmaking.

Documents

Glossary of Art Terms - Scoilnet · ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM American abstract art ... A form of Participatory Arts practice where emphasis is placed on the potential of art to bring